


I Will Be Chasing a Starlight, Until the End of My Life

by Some_Girl_From_Neverland



Series: Skydalorian New Hope verse AU [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, DINLUKE, Din has his fancy new armor because I said so, Din is a himbo, F/M, Han and Chewie are in it and I used whatever bullshit excuse I could find to keep them in it, Hurt/Comfort, ITS AN AU TREAT IT AS SUCH, Luke Has a Crush, Luke is a Twink, M/M, No way am I gonna let the Skywalker Twins not have their husbands, SKYDALORIAN, not beta read we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-16 13:29:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28831980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Some_Girl_From_Neverland/pseuds/Some_Girl_From_Neverland
Summary: “Who is he,” Luke asked, eyes never leaving the mysterious stranger.“He is a Mandalorian,” Obi-Wan explained, “They were the fiercest warriors in the galaxy before they were wiped out. And now we need his help to rescue the princess.”(AU where Obi-Wan and Luke get some extra help rescuing Leia.)
Relationships: Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa/Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Luke Skywalker
Series: Skydalorian New Hope verse AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2181948
Comments: 152
Kudos: 974





	1. Our Hopes and Expectations

**Author's Note:**

> A COUPLE OF THINGS: Thank you guys for whoever is here from my tumblr and encouraged me to write this fic. It truly kicked my ass, but it was worth it. I'm really happy with what came out of it. SECOND THING: I tried literally my absolute hardest to come up with a reason for Han and Chewie to still be in this story and this was the best I could come up so if it doesn't make sense or is disjointed I'm really sorry. I rewrote this like 8 times, I'm not kidding, so I just hope y'all like it. I know what the rest of it's gonna be like it and I feel much more confident about the upcoming chapter but I really did try.

“What are we doing here,” Luke asked.

They had arrived at Mos Eisley, his mind still reeling from Ben’s trick with the guards. Luke didn’t quite understand the explanation the older man had given him, but soon Ben would train him to become a Jedi and hopefully he would.

“We are here to find a ship and a crew,” Ben said, “Once we get to Alderaan, we will need to hurry. We don’t know if the Empire has beat us there or not and we may be in for a fight. I am too old and you are too inexperienced to be much use in battle, so we need to find someone who is. Take him for example.”

Ben nodded to a man in shinning, heavy armor walking past them. The sun gleamed off the pristine silver and Luke found himself staring. He had seen a variety of different people when he and his uncle went into town for supplies, but he’d never seen anyone with gear like that before. The plating shimmered in the hot Twin Suns and Luke found himself mesmerized by it. It was stunning and a strange feeling swept over Luke at the sight of him.

“Who is he,” Luke asked, eyes never leaving the mysterious stranger.

“He is a Mandalorian,” Obi-Wan explained, “They were the fiercest warriors in the galaxy before they were wiped out. And now we need his help to rescue the princess.”

The Mandalorian disappeared into one of the sand igloos and Luke watched until the doors shut behind him, cutting off his view.

“Why don’t you go talk to him,” Ben suggested, “Explain our situation and tell him we can pay him, while I try and find us a ship.”

“Why can’t we use his,” Luke asked, “Seems like a waste of time and credits to use another person.”

“We might be recognized if we traveled in his ship,” Ben explained, “The remaining Mandalorians are known for being Bounty Hunters and Bounty Hunters are often used by the Empire. Which makes him perfect for infiltration, as long as we journey with him under the radar.”

“Maybe you should talk to him,” Luke said, “I mean, I’ve helped my uncle barter a few times, but I’ve never hired someone for a mission before, let alone a bounty hunter!”

“And there is no time like the present to learn,” Ben insisted, “Consider this your first lesson. Communing with people from all walks of life is vital to a Jedi’s path and it helps us better understand the galaxy around us,” Ben explained, “Besides, Jedi and Mandalorians do not have the most aimable past with each other. Some of them are still hostile and I’m not sure what his views are. We want to cause as little of a scene as possible, so it’s better if I go unintroduced until he is hired.”

“But-”

Ben was already walking into the Cantina away from Luke. He felt his stomach lurch as he stared at the sandy structure, music blaring from within. 

“Great,” he muttered, with a sigh, “C’mon, Threepio, let’s go.”

………………………………………………………………………….

Din sat at a corner stool in the bar of Mos Eisley Cantina, drumming his knuckles on the table next to his untouched drink. He was watching as his target drank himself stupid on the other side of the room. He had been tracking the Twi’lek for some time and had finally managed to track him down. Tatooine was a homing beacon for scum and Din wanted to get of this sand infested planet as soon as possible.

A commotion at the entrance caused him to glance up. Din recognized the boy from outside getting yelled at by the owner about his droid. The droid gave a wave of his hands before waddling off, leaving the young stranger alone. The kid scanned the room, eyes landing on Din and he headed over to him, attempting to be casual.

The stranger took a seat next to Din, tugging on the bar tender’s sleeve to order, and Din wondered if he had ever been to an actual bar before. The boy sat there for a few moments, nervousness rolling off him, before Din decided to speak for him.

“Make it quick, I’m busy,” Din said, eyes returning to his bounty.

“Oh, uh, my name is Luke and I-”

“What’s the job,” he asked, cutting him off.

Luke had clearly never spoken to a bounty hunter before and Din was a little curious to see where this was going. The kid looked like he had never even gone off planet, let alone gotten into any trouble that would require a Mandalorian’s help.

“I need an escort,” Luke said, “Someone who can travel with me and a friend to Alderaan. I have credits and I can pay you. It’s simple there and back.”

Din faced Luke again.

“If it’s so simple why are you asking a bounty hunter for help?”

Luke’s eyes widened and he shuffled a bit in his seat. Din could see the battle to lie or tell the truth playing out on his face. Luke looked over his shoulder once and Din guessed he was trying not to have anyone overhear. Din raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. People knew to mind their own business in places like this.

“Look,” he said, “I can’t tell you much, but we’re travelling with a couple of droids we need to keep safe. We think we might run into some trouble while we’re carrying them and we might need you for security.”

It sounded easy enough. A to B with maybe one or two fights, if that, and besides, he had taken worse jobs before. How bad could it be?

“I charge extra for droids,” he said.

Luke made a face at that and Din had to stop from laughing.

“That’s ridiculous,” he argued.

“That’s my offer. Take it or leave it.”

For a second, Din thought he might actually leave it, but then Luke sighed, rolling his eyes.

“I’ll take it,” Luke said, “But I still think it’s ridiculous.”

Din just gave him a shrug.

“Wanna tell me your name,” Luke asked, “I’d like to know it if we’re gonna be working together.”

Din was a little taken back by that. Most people just treated him as a means to an end. They never bothered asking his name and they were _never_ polite if they had to work one on one with him. Luke seemed so different, but Din knew not to let his guard down. People weren’t always what they seemed and a misjudge of character could get you killed.

“Mando.”

“Is that your real name?”

“No.”

“Are you going to tell me your real name?”

“No.”

“Okay, Mando it is then,” Luke said, looking around, “I’ll find my friend and he can work out your payment.”

Din nodded and looked back across the bar, only to find the Twi’lek gone.

_Shit._

“Hello, Mando,” a slurred voice said behind him, “Was wondering when you would find me.”

Din turned to see Zaff Killian, blaster in hand, wobbly standing behind him. Usually, Din wouldn’t be concerned, but it complicated things having to protect his new client. Out of the corner of his visor he saw Luke jump up from his seat and stand up.

“I can bring you in warm or I can bring you in cold,” Din said, hand resting near his own blaster, “Bounty’s the same either way.”

“Oh, I don’t think you’ll be bringing me in at all,” Zaff laughed, “Isn’t that right, Adaranth?”

Din felt Luke bump into his back and he turned to see a large Zarbak standing on his other side. He didn’t have a blaster, but he didn’t need it. Zarbaks were a pain in the ass all on their own.

Din struck out suddenly, catching them off guard. He flung Luke against the bar, pushing him out the way. He spun and kicked out, hitting the Zarbak in the stomach, sending him backwards, tripping over a stool. A blast rang out and he saw a flash of red light pass his helmet, landing in the wall. He whipped around and saw Luke holding Zaff’s blaster, looking very proud of himself. Din was impressed.

Or he would’ve been, if Luke hadn’t gotten himself thrown into a table right after. Zaff tried to use the distraction to make a break for it, but Din grabbed him by the back of his shirt and slammed his head into the bar. Din leaned down to cuff Zaff when a loud humming noise caused him to jump up blaster ready.

He saw the Zarbak kneeling on the floor, screaming, his hand severed from his arm. The man Luke had been with outside earlier stood over him, holding what Din could only describe as a blue laser sword in front of him. A Wookie stood behind him surveying the scene. No one spoke for a tense moment, staring at the scene, before the music began again and they went back to their drinks.

The old man put his strange weapon away, helping Luke up and Din went back to binding the unconscious Twi’lek. He threw his target over the stool and waited for the other to address him.

“Hello there,” the man said, “My name is Ben and I would like to thank you for protecting my young friend here. Fighting is not his strongest suit, but he’s learning.”

Luke made an indignant noise at that and Din smirked slightly, amused, before getting back to business.

“He hired me for a job,” Din stated, “I was just protecting my employer.”

Din wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw the boy’s shoulders deflate just a bit at that.

“Then you’ve been filled in on our situation,” Ben inquired.

Din nodded.

“Good,” he said, “It’s me, the boy, two droids and no questions asked.”

“And payment?”

“Four thousand credits total,” Ben responded, “We can give you two thousand now and the rest once we’ve made it to Alderaan.”

“That’s pretty low for my standards,” Din said.

“When we make it to Alderaan, I will see what I can do to remedy that,” Ben said, putting his hand out.

Din thought it over. It was low and he wasn’t sure he trusted the promise of extra money once they were on Alderaan, but it seemed like a simple enough mission. And Din had to admit Ben and Luke had piqued his interest. He took Ben’s hand and shook it once. Ben nodded, taking a small, ancient looking communications device from his pocket and handed it to Din.

“This is a private comm link I will use to contact you when everything is set and we have a ship,” he explained.

“I have a ship,” Din said.

The Razor Crest was, for the most part, perfectly fine and Din didn’t feel like splitting his pay with anybody else, especially not for something he could do himself.

“I’m certain you do,” Ben said, “But I suspect you’ve had recent dealings with the Empire. We need to pass by as inconspicuously as possible through Imperial Space and I fear they might recognize your ship. “

“My ship isn’t trackable,” he said, “It’s off both the Republic and Imperial grid.”

“And when was the last time you took a job for the Empire?”

Din remained silent. He had a feeling lying to Ben would be pointless anyways.

“Do not worry, my friend,” he said, “You will have your full payment, you have my word. And besides, if your ship is as old as you say, I may be saving you quite the cost in repairs.”

A groan caught his attention and he saw Zaff starting to wake up.

“I’ll leave you to take care of him before he causes you anymore trouble. I will contact you when we finish here. We will see you soon enough,” he announced

The Wookie and Ben left and Luke gave him a brief half smile before following.

Din sighed, dragging Zaff off the stool and through the Cantina.

What had he gotten himself into?


	2. This ship is taking me far away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ride to Alderaan doesn't quite go as expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter. Made. Me. Want. To. Die. I rewrote it like literally 4 times. I'm trying to write it to where it's not just the entirety of New Hope repeated to you for the whole fic, so I summarized what we all know happens cause really there is no point in rehashing everything we already know if it doesn't have any changes. Hope yall enjoy!

As it turned out, Din had gotten himself into quite a bit.

After dropping Zaff off, Ben had commed him with the location of their ship and Din had traveled straight to Docking Bay 94, glad to get off of Tatooine. He was greeted by Luke and a man he hadn’t met before. The stranger introduced himself as Han Solo, Captain of the Millennium Falcon, as if the bucket of bolts behind him was something to be proud of.

Din missed the Razor Crest.

They quickly boarded the ship, Din following behind Luke and Ben when suddenly a squadron of storm troopers appeared, firing at them. So much for avoiding Imperial entanglements.

Din and Han fended off as many as they could as they raced into the ship. Han ran to the cockpit while Din found Luke, Ben and the droids. His job was to keep them secure and he hadn’t wanted to crowd Han in the pilot station while he was trying to fly.

Unfortunately, Luke did not share this sentiment and, after the initial lurch out of the atmosphere, ran towards the front of the ship. Ben quickly followed and Din, not wanting to be alone with two droids, who were a little too friendly for his liking, chased after them.

Han and Luke were already arguing by the time he got there and Din swore on the Creed if he didn’t go insane by the end of this mission, it would be a miracle. A loud string of curses rang through the small space as Han announced they had not only lost a deflector shield, but the autopilot had been damaged as well.

Din _really_ missed the Razor Crest.

The captain instructed them to strap themselves in as he got ready to make the jump. The three ran back, trying to seat themselves, but the ship thrusted forward and Luke stumbled, about to fall.

Din grabbed him by the arm, pulling him close and pushing him into the seat as the ship continued its jump. Ben had managed to slide into the bench and strap himself in near the golden protocol droid, while the astromech let out a loud screech as slid backwards into the wall. The Falcon stabilized after a few moments and Luke climbed over Din, running towards the R2 unit.

“You okay, buddy,” Luke asked, putting a hand on its dome.

The droid whistled affirmatively and Din could see Luke’s shoulders relax.

“Artoo-Detoo, I told you to strap yourself in,” The protocol droid scolded, “You need to keep all your parts together for when we are returned to the Princess!”

“Princess,” Din asked, curiously.

Both Luke and Ben threw a dirty look at the golden robot, who raised its hands over its voice box, realizing its mistake. Clearly, this wasn’t something Din was supposed to know. Ben sighed, sitting back in his chair.

“These two droids belong to the Princess of Alderaan,” he explained, “It is our hope that once we reach the planet, we will be able to return them to her. That is all you need to know.”

Din nodded once. He knew better than to push it, although now things were starting to make sense. Why he had been hired as extra security and why they had been attacked by stormtroopers at the hangar was clear. These two droids seemed to be causing a good bit of trouble and Din was happy he had charged extra, it would be well earned.

Ben turned to Luke, standing and handing him a shiny silver object. Din recognized it as the hilt of the strange weapon Ben had used in the bar fight.

“If we are to face the Empire,” he said, “You will need this.”

Reluctantly, Luke took it, staring at it lost in thought.

“Do you think I’m ready for this,” he asked, eyes boring into the old man.

Ben placed a hand on his shoulder.

“If you are to become a Jedi, you must master a Jedi’s weapon,” he said, “Luke, I’m not sure how much longer I will be here. The Jedi are spread too few and, after I am gone, you may be the only hope they have left. It is a large burden, I know, but it may very well become yours to bare.”

Din felt his heart ache a little in sympathy at that. He knew how hard it was, being the last of one’s kind. The Mandalorian’s were all but extinct at this point and the burden fell to his Clan to keep their legacy alive. He found himself wanting to help Luke, but he wasn’t sure how.

Luke stared at Ben for just a moment before igniting the saber. It glowed a brilliant blue and Din thought it was reminiscent of the blue in Luke’s eyes.

“Oh, do be careful, Master Luke,” the protocol droid warned and it was very strange to Din how attached it had become to Luke.

“I’ll be fine, Threepio, don’t worry,” he assured.

The old Jedi held out a hand and a Marksman-H combat remote floated into his palm, before he set it and launched it into the air. Din found himself reaching for his gun on instinct at that. He didn’t know why, but the movement had set him on edge.

“Don’t worry, my friend, it is nothing dangerous,” Ben said, raising a calming hand towards him, “The Force flows around us, connecting us to all things. It allows to reach out to them and call them to us.”

Han snorted, leaning on the doorway. Luke looked towards him, extinguishing his saber.

“What,” he asked, sharply.

Din knew they didn’t get along and, really, he couldn’t blame Luke. Han was not the worst person he’d met, not by a long shot, but he was arrogant and even Din had to admit the smuggler got on his nerves.

“Auto-pilot’s been damaged,” he said, ignoring Luke, “We’re trying to get it back on, but the systems gone to hell. We’ll make it to Alderaan fine, flying’ll just be a pain. And kid, if you want my advice, stick to blasters. Much more reliable than hokey religions and ancient weapons. Right, Mando?”

“I’m a Mandalorian,” Din responded, “Weapons are part of my religion. Ancient or not, we respect them and the power they bring. It is our way.”

Han rolled his eyes, muttering something about Mandalorian bounty hunters being pains in the ass and Din wondered what other Mandalorian Han had encountered before.

“You don’t believe in the Force, do you,” Luke inquired of the smuggler.

“Kid, I’ve flown from one side of the galaxy to the other,” Han retorted crossing his arms, “I’ve seen a lot of strange stuff, but I’ve never seen _anything_ to make me believe there’s one all powerful force controlling _everything_.”

Just as he said that, Ben stumbled clutching at the walls of the ship for support. Din stood up and Luke ran to Ben, helping him sit down. Han stepped forward carefully, seemingly unsure of what to do.

“What is it,” Luke asked.

“I felt a great disturbance in the Force,” Ben whispered, voice shaking, “As if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.”

Ben shook his head in disbelief and it worried him. The older man looked truly frightened and Din suspected it must take quite a lot to get him that way.

“I feel as though something terrible has happened.”

A loud roar ripped through the ship and Han startled a bit.

“Yeah, yeah,” Han yelled, heading towards the cockpit, “I’m coming back up, Chewie! Keep your fur on!”

“I think I will go rest for a moment,” Ben said, “I’ve never felt anything like this before.”

“I’ll go with you,” Luke offered.

“No. Stay here and train,” Ben insisted, handing Luke a fighter helmet with the blast shield down, “Trust the force and it will guide you. Feel the energy around you.”

“I need to meditate on this. Alone,” he said, “I’ll return when we’ve entered Alderaan’s atmosphere. Do not worry about me, Luke, I’ll be all right.”

And with that he left.

**..…………………………………....…....………. ******

********

Luke wearily watched as Ben exited, disappearing into one of the Falcon’s hallways. R2 whistled sadly, rolling next to Luke.

********

“He’ll be okay, R2,” he comforted, “He just needs a minute.”

********

The droid gave another sad warble, heading off towards Han and Chewbacca at the front of the ship. Threepio stood, bowing slightly to Luke.

********

“Excuse me, Master Luke,” he apologized, “But I best follow him. He has a wonderful habit of getting into trouble if left to his own devices.”

********

Luke nodded and Threepio waddled out of the lounge area, leaving Luke alone with the Mandalorian. The air seemed tense and Luke felt awkward, standing there with the bounty hunter.

********

“So, uhm,” Luke said, “I’m gonna start training now, I guess.”

********

Mando nodded and plopped himself down on a large stack of crates. Luke looked down at the saber in his hand.

********

_“Trust the Force and it will guide you.”_

********

Luke took a deep breath, trying to calm himself as he placed the helmet over his head. Darkness engulfed him. He ignited his lightsaber as the training bot zipped to life and he readied himself.

********

The air around him shifted and he felt an energy thrum through him. It wasn’t an entirely unfamiliar feeling. He remembered instances in his life where he had felt this before. When he had fallen down a sand dune or when he had fired on a hard to catch womp rat. Something had moved his body, more intimate than just instinct alone. It felt alive, surging through looks veins into his very soul.

********

Luke felt his arms moving subconsciously. He felt the vibration as a laser bolt met with his saber. It went on like that, blast after blast fired from the Marksman-H. He deflected each one, never missing.

********

The robot stopped and Luke hesitantly lifted up the blast shield, deactivating his saber. It seemed like it was recharging. Luke startled slightly as Mando stood up and grabbed the Marksman, placing it back on the shelf.

********

“Hey, what are you doing?! I was using that!”

********

“You need more than just instinct and luck in a fight,” he said, “You need to learn how to match your opponent, blow for blow, or you’ll end up getting thrown into a table again.”

********

“He caught me off guard,” Luke defended, “That’s all.”

********

“And next time you get caught off guard, you might be dead after,” the Bounty Hunter said, “If you want to learn about the Force or being a Jedi or whatever it is you’re doing, fine. But you need to at least be able to get a good swing in with this thing.”

********

Luke pursed his lips. He knew Mando was right, and it wasn’t like he was entirely defenseless. He could shoot a blaster and if he learned to master the Force like Ben said, it would be useful. But hand to hand combat wasn’t his strongest suit and he supposed a lesson or two in it couldn’t hurt.

********

“Okay,” Luke agreed, “What do you suggest?”

********

“My armor is made of pure Beskar,” Mando said, motioning to his suit, “It’s impenetrable and it’s probably one of the only things that can withstand a hit from your laser sword. You swing at me, I’ll block.”

********

Luke sputtered incredulously. Was he insane?!

********

“I’m not doing that!”

********

“Why not?”

********

“Did you not see what it did to that guy’s arm in the bar,” Luke asked, “I’m not going to risk chopping off one of your limbs!”

********

“I told you, my armor can take it.”

********

“I’m not going to use you as a lightsaber’s punching bag!”

********

Suddenly, Luke found his lightsaber snatched from his hand. He watched in shock as Mando ignited it and brought it down towards his own arm.

********

“Don’t-!”

********

The blade hit the armor and stayed there, not cutting through. Luke saw the metal heat up, but nothing else happened. The beskar never budged. Mando removed it after a few moments, handing the saber back to Luke.

********

“I just want to help,” he said, “Trust me.”

********

Luke looked into the visor and it was almost as if he could see the Mandalorian’s eyes staring back at him. He knew it probably wasn’t smart, sparring with a professional bounty hunter, but something inside of Luke told him Mando was being earnest.

********

Luke found his fingers activating his lightsaber before he could think.

********

Mando raised his fists, gauntlets facing Luke.

********

A beat passed and then Luke struck. Saber collided with Beskar, sparks flying all around the room. Mando uncrossed his arms and Luke was forcibly thrown to the side, stumbling. He righted himself and brought the saber up just as Mando swung down towards him again. Luke struggled as the Mandalorian pushed down on him, armor adding extra weight to his attack. Luke found himself being pushed backwards.

********

Luke closed his eyes, trying to calm himself, and reached out. Again, he felt the strange tingle of energy from before. A large burst of power racked through him and he was able to throw Mando off. The Mandalorian seemed to be caught off guard as he tripped backwards.

********

Luke lashed out again, managing to catch Mando’s left gauntlet. His opponent tried to hit him with his free arm, but Luke felt it coming and easily dodged, ducking under Mando’s fist. Luke kicked out as he lowered himself, hitting Mando in his shin and caused his knees to buckle. He launched himself forward, pushing Mando back against the ground with a loud thump.

********

Luke straddled him, saber resting underneath the Mandalorian’s helmet. Not touching, but making Mando aware of the threat it posed. They were both panting and Luke could feel Mando breathing harshly beneath him. They stayed like that, unmoving and Luke realized that Mando’s hands were pressed against his hips, holding him steady.

********

Luke blinked at that and slowly the hands fell away. Luke could feel them as they traced down his legs until Mando rested them at his sides. Luke didn’t know why he wasn’t moving. Mando yielded and the fight was over. He could stand up at any time and yet, he didn’t. He found himself lost in the black slits of Mando’s helmet. Luke had been captivated by the bounty hunter the moment he had laid eyes on him on Tatooine and now he was here. On top of him, touching him.

********

“If the two of you are done destroying my ship,” Han’s voice boomed from the cockpit, “We’re about to come up on Alderaan.”

********

Reality slammed back into focus. Luke removed his saber and climbed hurriedly off of Mando, trying to hide the heat spreading across his face.

********

“I-I better go get Ben,” he stuttered out, leaving Mando on the ground.

********

Once he rounded the corner, he pressed his back against the wall, staring at the durasteel ceiling.

********

They were on a mission and Mando was just someone who was working for them. Once they finished on Alderaan, he would go back to Tatooine or wherever he had come from, Luke would train to become a Jedi, hopefully fighting in the rebellion at the same time, and that would be that. He shouldn’t be getting his hopes up. Besides, what would a Mandalorian want with a farm boy like him anyways?

********

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally used every single possible excuse in the book just to get Luke and Din alone for that last scene. It's my fic and it's my sexual tension sparring scene and I will write it how I want :) Also I rewrote this to ensure Han would be in it with dialogue. He IS going to be more prominent in chapters to come, but I didn't want him to just be thrown to the side in this chapter since he wasn't in the first one like at all.
> 
> Also I just want y'all to know I read every single one of your comments and it means the world to me, truly. I haven't really written anything in almost ten years so it means everything to me to see people enjoying the content I create. I never even planed on writing this fic, I posted a gif set on my tumblr (verified-villain-fxcker if you wanna add me) and so many people liked it I decided to follow up with this. This fic will be about 4-5 chapters long, but I am thinking about making a DinLuke series because they are quickly becoming my Star Wars OTP.


	3. Let's Conspire to Ignite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang gets more than they bargained for when they exit HyperSpace

As soon as the Millennium Falcon emerged from Hyper Space, it had been bombarded by the destruction of the Empire. The ship rocked violently and Din scrambled off the floor, running to the front of the vessel. Han was desperately hitting controls while Chewbacca tried to pilot around the rocky barrage. Din held onto the wall as Luke and Ben rushed in.

The air was electrified with tension as asteroid after asteroid hit the Falcon as it traveled through where their destination should have been. The unease in the cockpit had quickly spread as realization dawned on them.

Alderaan was gone.

Din didn’t know how, but it had been obliterated, completely wiped away. Just like everything else the Empire touched; only broken fractals remained. Just like his people.

This was the Empire’s way.

Alerts sounded, indicating the presence of another ship.

“Maybe they know what happened,” Luke suggested and Din was quite sure they would.

After all, the only ships out this way now would be Imperial and Ben seemed to share this thought.

“It’s an Imperial fighter,” the Jedi said.

No sooner had the words left his mouth, a tie fighter flew into view, firing on them. This was bad. This was _very_ bad.

“It followed us,” Luke gasped in disbelief.

“No,” Din said, “It couldn’t have followed us, it’s a short-range fighter. It would need a base.”

“But there are no bases around here, so where did it come from,” Han wondered.

“Well, it sure is leaving in a big hurry,” Luke observed, “If they identify us, we’re in big trouble.”

“Not if I can help it,” Han stated, ordering Chewbacca to jam its transmission.

“I don’t think following it is such a good idea,” Din suggested.

“It’d do us well to let it go,” Ben added, “It’s too far out of range.”

“Not for long,” Han insisted, fiddling with the controls, “If we don’t follow it and jam it, then the Empire is definitely gonna know we were here, whether we leave or not. And I, for one, have no intention of running into Darth Vader anytime soon, do you?”

Din didn’t answer. Arguing with Han was just going to waste more energy he could use for when they inevitably got captured.

Ben tried once more to discourage Han’s pursuit.

“A fighter that size couldn’t get that deep into space on its own,” he reasoned.

“Maybe it got lost in part of a convoy or something,” Luke said with nervous hopefulness.

“No,” Din disagreed, “No, it had to come from somewhere close by.”

“Well, wherever it came from,” the smuggler said, “It won’t be around long enough to tell anyone about us.”

“Look at him, he’s heading for that small moon,” Luke pointed out.

Din’s head whipped up. He considered himself pretty well traveled because of his profession and he didn’t know of _any_ moons this close to Alderaan. Well, near what was left of Alderaan.

“That’s no moon,” the old man said, stiffening, “It’s a Space Station.”

“It’s too big to be a space station,” Han argued, although it sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

As the Falcon inched closer, the details of the mysterious orb came into focus. Din could see the rounded dome, flashing lights and chrome plating confirming their fears. The power of the Empire had always concerned Din, especially after the Purge, but seeing it materialized like this was something else.

“I have a very bad feeling about this,” Luke whispered, answered by a low warble from Chewbacca.

The Mandalorian could feel his own panic rising, but he tried not to show it. Din saw Luke straighten, rising from his seat a bit. He put a hand on the farm boy’s shoulder, which was meant to be comforting, but was a bit awkward because of their brief sparring lesson. Luke didn’t seem to mind, though, and Din could swear he saw the younger’s shoulders relax just a bit.

“Turn the ship around,” Ben instructed.

Not seconds later the Falcon shook with the force of a tractor beam, invisibly pulling them forward. The Captain and the Wookie frantically tried to activate the auxiliary power, but it was pointless.

Din knew it was too late.

……………………………………………………………….

Luke kept an ear open as he stripped the Stormtrooper. The Falcon had been sucked into the newly discovered Space Station and promptly boarded by a small party of troopers. Luckily, Ben had the idea of hiding in the smuggling compartments, much to Han’s annoyance. It had been good enough to fool the Imperials and they managed to knock out two Stormtroopers, taking their armor. 

Luke was glad to be out of the tight, dark space inside the floor. He had been crammed back to chest with the Mandalorian and, while it hadn’t been entirely uncomfortable, Luke was still trying to wrap his head around their earlier incident. The feeling of Mando underneath him was still fresh in his mind and Luke shook himself as he put the helmet of his disguise on. There were more important things to worry about now.

“This is never gonna work,” Han grumbled, awkwardly clunking forward in his newly acquired armor.

“It’s the best plan we have at the moment,” Ben said, “It will get us to the control room and that’s enough for now.”

Han scoffed, jamming the helmet on his head and started off towards the control room, shouldering past Mando on his way out. Chewie gave Luke a low warble of apology following Han and Ben towards the entrance of the ship where the droids were waiting.

Mando stayed put, taking in a deep breath that could be heard even through the helmet. He was backup in case any troopers came by when Luke was distracting the Imperial Officers in the operating room and once again, Luke found himself alone with Mando.

“I know he’s aggravating-”

“He’s a pain in the ass,” Mando corrected.

“I _know_ ,” Luke said, “But he’s our ride out of here so, for now, we have to work with him. At least we have Chewie, though. He isn’t that bad.”

Silence.

“Right?”

The Mandalorian said nothing as he walked past Luke, burrowing himself into the wall next to the to the ramp, waiting. Luke sighed, exasperated. He almost missed the days where his biggest problems were wamp rats on the Moisture Farm and not trying to keep bounty hunters and smugglers from killing each other. Almost.

“TK-421, why aren’t you at your post,” a voice rang out through the earpiece in his helmet.

Luke didn’t respond, heading out of the Falcon and passing Mando, who straightened ready to fight.

“TK-421,” the voice yelled again, “Do you copy?”

Luke winced slightly. How were stormtroopers not deaf?

Luke stepped off the ship and looked towards the observation deck, hoping Han and Chewie were there already. The officer peered down through the window, staring at him. Luke tapped on his helmet twice to indicate a broken transponder. The officer nodded once, saluting him back before disappearing from view.

He motioned behind him and Mando came rushing out the ship, blaster in hand.

“C’mon, let’s go,” Luke said, running towards the sounds of blast fire and clamorous roars.

Luke had only known him for a short time, but it seemed Han Solo had an ever-present death wish given his daily choices, given the pandemonium he always seemed to be causing. Mando and Luke ran into the control room, slamming the door shut behind them.

“Between his howling and your blasting everything,” Luke berated, “It’s a wonder the whole station doesn’t know we’re here.”

“Bring it on, I prefer a straight fight to all this sneaking around,” Han boasted.

“Right, because you ‘fought off’ the tie fighter so well,” Mando spat.

Han whirled on the bounty hunter, opening his mouth to yell when a series of beeps rang from R2. Luke sped towards his droid, purposefully pushing between Han and Mando. The last thing they needed was another commotion to alert the Empire of their presence.

“We found the computer outlet sir,” Threepio informed them.

Ben instructed R2 to interpret the imperial network and the droid let out another series of high-pitched whistles as it did so. The astromech located the power beam controlling the Falcon and the monitor lit up, illuminating a series of blue prints. I zeroed in on the tractor beam which was tied to the main reactor by seven points.

“A power loss at one of the terminals will allow the ship to leave,” the protocol droid announced.

Ben looked solemn as he stood from where he rested on the control panel, heading towards the exit. Luke felt compelled towards the older man, something more than just worry moving him forward.

“I don’t think you boys can help,” the Jedi decided, “I must go. Alone.” 

Luke didn’t like that one bit. Han, on the other hand, readily agreed and Mando remained quiet, seemingly indifferent, though it was hard to tell with the helmet. Luke followed after Ben, grabbing his arm lightly as they reached the sliding door.

“I want to go with you,” Luke pleaded.

The other shook his head.

“Be patient, Luke,” he said, “Stay and watch the droids.”

“But-

“It’s too dangerous.”

“Maybe I could go with you,” Mando spoke up.

Luke looked towards him. Again, no emotions could be read, guarded by the cold armor in more ways than one, but Luke could swear he felt a small wave of anxiety coming from Mando. He noticed the hunter had been more on edge since they were captured, which was to be expected, but now he sensed it was because of something else, something deeper.

“No, I thank you for the offer, but a Mandalorian would draw far too much attention while I am trying to be discreet,” Ben insisted, before directing his attention back to Luke and lowering his voice, “Remember, what I said on the ship. You are the remaining hope for the Jedi. You must stay here and you must stay safe. I will do my part and you shall do yours.”

The door slid upwards, revealing the hallway that seemed much more ominous than before. The two force sensitives shared a long glance down the bleak corridor and Ben cast Luke a sad smile.

“The force will be with you,” the old man said, “Always.”

Luke swallowed the lump in his throat as he watched Ben go. It felt far too much like a good-bye and Luke couldn’t find the words for the feelings he had.

Chewie growled softly.

“Boy, you said it,” Han said, leaning on the Wookie, “Where did you dig up that old fossil?”

“That’s enough,” Mando said, tone harsh.

Han raised his eyebrows at him, but otherwise didn’t react. Luke stomped over towards him, anger rising.

“Ben is a great man,” he defended.

“Yeah,” Han scoffed, “Great at getting us into trouble.”

“Last I checked, it wasn’t the old man that followed an Imperial ship directly to its secret base even though _everyone_ asked him not to,” Mando said, leaning on the consul and crossing his arms.

It almost brought a smile to Luke’s face and Chewie let out a low agreeable sound at that. Han shot up from his resting place on the Wookie, clearly offended by Chewbacca’s stance on the argument. He shook his head, regarding the bounty hunter and ignoring his copilot.

“Wow, you’re really just not gonna let that go, huh,” Han said, reclining in a chair instead of on his friend.

“If we get off this godforsaken spaceship I might,” Mando replied, “But right now, that’s looking like a big if.”

For the second time, R2 interrupted the two men’s bickering and Luke silently thanked the astromech for being such a life saver. Anymore bullheaded arguing and he was going to throw himself in front of squadron of stormtroopers so he wouldn’t have to listen to them anymore.

“What is it,” he asked Threepio as R2 continued to beep urgently.

“I’m not quite sure, sir,” the droid said, “He just keeps saying ‘I found her’ and ‘she’s here’.”

Luke’s eyebrows furrowed as he put a hand on blue and white droid’s dome, trying to soothe its frantic whirring. The room had fallen silent, all attention on them.

“Who’s he found,” he asked.

A long bloop sounded and the protocol droid looked to Luke.

“Princess Leia,” he informed and his voice seemed a little less woeful than before.

Luke’s heart stopped.

“The princess,” he exclaimed, “She’s here?!”

She hadn’t been on Alderaan when it was destroyed! She was still alive! Luke could still return her droids and he could help her get back to the rebellion! He had to find her.

“Princess,” Han asked, “What princess?”

“The princess who owns the droids,” Mando explained, though his attention was trained on Luke.

“What??”

“Where is she,” Luke gasped out.

_Bleep. Bloop. ___

____

“Level 5, Detention Block AA-23,” Threepio informed him, “I’m- I’m afraid she’s scheduled to be terminated, sir.”

____

Luke felt like he had fallen into a nest of Gundarks.

____

“No,” he whispered, “No. We have to do something!”

____

Han shook his head dramatically.

____

“The old man said to stay here and that’s exactly what I’m gonna do,” Han stated.

____

“But they’re gonna kill her!”

____

“Better her than me!”

____

Luke gave a pleading glance towards Mando, who turned his head to the side, avoiding his gaze.

____

“Well,” Luke asked impatiently, “What do you think?”

____

“I... agree with the smuggler,” Mando said, reluctantly, “Charging head first into the detention center isn’t a good idea. We’d be lucky if even one of us made it out alive.”

____

Han threw one of his hands up in a ‘see I told you so’ gesture. Luke cursed internally. They couldn’t just leave her there! He bit his lip thinking. Come on, what’s one thing that could sway both a bounty hunter and a smuggler?

____

_Ah!_

____

____

“She’s rich,” Luke said.

____

Chewbacca growled a little at that, sounding intrigued.

____

_Good, halfway there_ , Luke thought.

____

“How rich,” Han asked, perking up a little.

____

“Not rich enough to risk us going up there,” Mando cut in.

____

“Hey speak for yourself, tin head,” Han said, “Now how rich we talkin?”

____

“Very rich. Super rich,” Luke said, ignoring Mando, “If you rescued her the reward would be … well more than you could imagine!”

____

“I can imagine quite a bit,” Han answered, turning his chair to face Luke.

____

“And you’ll get it!”

____

“I better.”

____

“You will!”

____

All eyes turned to the Mandalorian, who shifted uncomfortably at the attention.

____

“She’s powerful,” Luke said, “If you don’t want more money, I’m sure she can work something else out!”

____

“What I _want_ is to not get blown to pieces on a secret imperial base,” Mando grunted, looking to Luke, “You really want to go?”

____

Luke nodded once, gazing into the black visor. Mando sighed, sounding resigned.

____

“Fine,” he said.

____

“All right,” Han said clapping his hands together as he stood, Chewie growling beside him, “What’s the plan?”

____


	4. You Electrify My Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys sorry for the long wait. I just moved and I had to repack and unload like twenty years worth of stuff and I'm just :') I hope you guys like this chapter and thank you guys so much for the comments y'all really make my whole fuckin day. <3

Stomping around a secret Imperial base he hadn’t been requested to visit, in plain sight, with a mysterious prisoner and two imposter stormtroopers was by far the most insane thing Din had ever done, which was truly saying something. The plan had been Luke’s and while it hadn’t exactly been a bad one for their situation, Din wasn’t sure he should’ve accompanied them. The looks they were getting from all around the station had been anything but discreet, and even though Din was used to people staring, the attention they were drawing to themselves was dangerous at best.

“This was a bad idea,” Han murmured, obviously on edge.

“Well, I didn’t hear you coming up with anything,” Luke snapped back.

“Parading around the middle of an Imperial Base to rescue a princess, who you haven’t even met by the way, isn’t exactly a genius move,” Han said.

Chewbacca growled, straining against his binders.

“I know, buddy, I know,” Han soothed, “Just a little longer and we’ll have you out of those in no time, all right?”

Chewbacca warbled, but stopped trying to pull at the restraints. The group rounded the corner, lifts in sight, when they were stopped in their tracks.

“Excuse me, where do you think you’re going?”

Slowly, Din turned around to see a severe looking Imperial Officer inspecting them.

_Dank Ferrick._

“I told you this was a bad idea,” he heard Han whisper, only to be aggressively shushed by Luke.

Din racked his brain, eyes darting around. There were too many officers and troopers to shoot their way out and they’d never be able to get to the elevators in time. Din guessed he was taking too long to respond because the Officer strutted over, standing inches away from his helmet. Din resisted the urge to reach for his blaster, though his fingers twitched at his sides.

“These elevators are for authorized personnel only, which you are not,” he explained in a condescending tone, “So, I’ll ask you again, Bounty Hunter, where do you think you’re going?”

_Think, think, think._

“I’ve-I’ve been tasked to personally bring this Wookie to the prison block,” he blurted out.

“And who instructed you to do so?”

Din squinted at him through the helmet. Kriff, he hated these guys.

“Lord Vader,” he replied, trying to sound confident, although it came out more like question.

The man didn’t seem to be buying that at all. Even Din winced at how stupid it sounded and he was, not for the first time, thankful for his helmet. He heard the slight clinking of armor as Han and Luke adjusted themselves, probably getting ready for a fight.

“Really,” the Imp questioned, “Lord Vader himself personally tasked you with doing this for him?”

“Why else would I have a stormtrooper escort through an Imperial Space Station,” he demanded, feigning annoyance, “Perhaps you’d like to call Lord Vader and ask him yourself? Then you can explain to him why you wasted both his time and mine, time which he is paying for, on questioning his orders.”

The threat of the Sith’s wrath seemed to do it. The officer’s face drained of color and he nervously straightened his shoulders, trying to seem intimidating. He gave one last skeptical glance between Din, Chewbacca, and the ‘Stormtroopers’ before nodding once.

“Very well,” he dismissed, though he was clearly agitated, “Proceed.”

The officer walked away, looking like a kicked Massiff stumbling back to camp. Din could not believe that worked.

“I cannot believe that worked,” he heard Luke sigh out and Din smiled a little.

He typed in the code Threepio had given them into the elevator keypad and they waited anxiously as more Imperials passed them by. The moments seemed to stretch on for eternity before the overhead light finally dinged and the four crammed inside the small space, travelling upward. Han immediately set to work loosening Chewbacca’s bindings while Din checked his blasters making sure they were fully loaded. Luke standing awkwardly beside him, weight shifting from foot to foot anxiously.

Din couldn’t blame him. If he were honest, they’re odds weren’t looking good, especially if the officer downstairs had started asking around about them. Din tried to relax his posture as much as possible, hoping his confidence would seep into the atmosphere of the small cramped space, but it didn’t work.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Han said as Chewie roared gratefully as his wrists were freed.

“Why didn’t you say anything before,” Luke asked.

“I did say something before,” the smuggler insisted, “but you and Tin Head didn’t wanna listen.”

Din jerked his head over his shoulder.

“Call me ‘Tin Head’ one more time and I’ll show you exactly what kind of ‘tin’ this armor is really made of,” he growled out.

“Touchy,” Han muttered.

 _Kriffing Smugglers_.

The elevator pinged as it arrived at their destination. Din heard Luke and Han ready their blasters behind him and Chewie emitted a low growling sound in the back of his throat. The doors opened and the group stepped out taking in their surroundings. It revealed the bleakest, darkest hallway Din had ever seen and several more Imperial Officers who seemed much more severe than the one on the second level. The commanding official stepped forward, scrutinizing them up and down.

“Where are you taking this thing,” he asked Han and Luke.

“Prisoner transfer Cell Block 1138,” Luke responded back.

The officer then turned his attention to Din for the first time since they entered. He raked his eyes over the bounty hunter with a look of utter distaste. Imperials always regarded him with disdain. They never made any secret of their loathing for his Mandalorian roots or his bounty hunting profession, but that didn’t stop the hot spike of anger rising up and catching in his throat. He could feel Luke fidget uncomfortably behind him as the Imp dragged his inspection out. He pursed his lips, finally making eye contact with him through the helmet. 

“Who gave you clearance to be in this sector?”

“I was instructed by Lord Vader to escort this Wookie to his cell, personally,” Din said, trying to keep his voice even.

The man raised one eyebrow before subtly putting a hand on his belt near his blaster.

“I wasn’t notified. I’ll have to clear it before allowing you back,” the man said.

Din supposed the whole Darth Vader thing was a stretch. Well, a stretch for any _competent_ officer anyways. The Imperial gave a glance towards the two guards standing against the wall, gesturing for them to take Chewbacca. They straightened their guns, walking towards the group as the Head Guard leaned into the communicator on the control board.

“ _Look out he’s loose!”_

__

Din grunted as Chewbacca threw him to the side sending him flying onto the control station. Din stumbled to his feet, whipping his gun out and shooting out the security monitors. Within a minute the fight was over and Chewbacca gave a victorious roar. Din stood still, glaring at Han through his helmet. The smuggler just shrugged at him in return.

__

_Nerf Herder_

_._

Luke’s footsteps jolted them out of their staring contest and Han and Din ran onto the control platform, where a loud beeping noise echoed throughout the room.

__

“We need to find which cell block is this princess of yours in,” Han said jamming in something on the computer.

__

Din kept himself trained on the elevators, shielding Luke and Han from whoever might come in. If they hadn’t been onto them before, they would be now.

__

“2187,” Han cried out, “2187! Luke, go get her!”

__

“We’ll cover you up here,” Din assured, giving Luke a comforting nod.

__

Din saw Luke give a slight pause before he ran off down the dark tunnel at the center of the room. Han discarded the helmet and chucked it to the ground, the clang pinging off the chrome walls. He smashed a few buttons and the beeping finally stopped. A loud angry voice sounded over the mic, cutting through the air like a blaster bolt.

__

“ _What’s going on up there?_ ”

__

Din could hear Han stumble against the floor panels, scrabbling to reach the mic.

__

“Everything’s fine here. Situation normal,” Han responded.

__

“ _What happened_?”

__

“Uhhh, slight weapon malfunction, but uh everything’s perfectly all right now. We’re fine. We’re all fine now, thank you… How are you?”

__

Din whipped his head to the side incredulously and Han gave him an aggressive wave to dismiss him as he continued his ‘conversation’.

__

“ _We’re sending a squad up._ ”

__

_Great_ , Din thought.

__

“Uh negative! Negative! We have a reactor leak. Here. Now,” Han said, “Give us a few minutes to lock it down. Large lea, very dangerous!”

__

“Who is this? What’s your operating number,” the man on the other end demanded.

__

Din watched the expressions wash over Han’s features before he pulled out his gun and blasted the system. Din sighed, so much for being discreet.

__

“Boring conversation anyways,” Han muttered, “Luke we’re gonna have company!”

__

Din saw Luke hurry the rest of the way down the hall and then disappear into one of the cells. Chewie ran towards the elevators, blocking Han and Din as Han slammed a few buttons on the control pad, jamming the doors. It wasn’t long before there was a rumbling at the doors and blaster fire could be heard through the metal. Chewie roared and Din trained his focus on the shaking elevator.

__

“C’mon get behind me,” Han yelled, heading towards the cells.

__

A loud blast rang throughout the room as blaster fire bled through what remained of the doors. Chewie ran behind Han as Din covered them, expertly returning fire.

__

“Hey! I said get-”

__

A bolt hit Din in the armor, causing him to stumble back with the force as the beskar absorbed the blast. Han’s eyes were wide and his mouth was slightly open, clearly impressed.

__

“All right, never mind,” he said.

__

The blasts continued as Din flanked Han and Chewie, shielding them from the brunt of the blows as they fired back. His armor pinged and rang as shot after shot bounced off of it. They back peddled until they ran into where Luke had emerged with a rather annoyed looking girl, who Din guessed must be the infamous Princess Leia.

__

“Looks like you managed to cut off our only escape route,” she congratulated and Han spun on his heel to face her.

__

__

“Maybe you’d like it back in your cell, Your Highness!”

__

A bolt whistled through the air, nearly hitting Han and Leia as Luke grabbed her by the arm and they ran further back. Din sent a few shots back as they retreated, pressing themselves flat against the walls. The fire was getting heavier as more troops arrived and Din tried to cover as much of Chewbacca as he could with his armor as Luke protected the Princess on other side. Luke fumbled for his communicator, asking Threepio for help only to have the droid confirm there was only one way out. They would have to fight through the sea of stormtroopers and even Din was skeptical about their odds.

__

“This is some rescue,” she bit out at Han, “When you came in here, didn’t you have a plan for getting out?”

__

If the situation were less serious Din would’ve been amused by the anger and embarrassment radiating off of Han at the moment.

__

“He’s the brains, sweetheart,” he snapped back, motioning to Luke.

__

Din heard Luke try to stutter out a response before Leia ripped the gun from his hands and shot open the gate on the floor by his boots. A sour smell filled the hallway and Din realized what she had done. It wasn’t the ideal escape route, but it was an escape nonetheless and he had to give her credit for her resourcefulness.

__

“What the hell are you doing?!,” Han yelled.

_“Somebody has to save our skins!”_

Din watched with raised eyebrows as Leia fired off a round shots, hitting a few troopers before throwing the gun back to Luke and flinging herself down the garbage shoot.

__

“Get down there,” Din yelled, “I’ll go last and hold them off!”

__

Han gave a grunt of affirmation as Chewie, with a little help from Han’s foot, slid down, followed by the pilot. Luke stayed put as they did so, helping Din keep up the distraction. A beat passed and Luke gave Din one last glance before he followed the others down. Din could hear the sound of footsteps running towards him and he sent off one more round before throwing himself down the garbage shoot.

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't quite sure how/if I was gonna fit Leia into this chapter but I'm very glad I did. Also next chapter is going to start off after they've escaped cause again I don't just wanna rewrite New Hope with Mando just thrown in there. I pretty much have everything written out too and I might even have the next chapter up in a couple days honestly. I hope you guys enjoyed this one and it was worth wait!
> 
> Edit: I realized after posting this that Din knew Leia’s name from earlier chapters so I rewrote some of it so that I didn’t have to call her Princess six thousand times in a row


	5. I Don't Know If It's Worth It Anymore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trash compactor and Din has some bonding time with the twins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually very proud of this chapter, I had had these ideas for a while now and it felt great to finally put them all down onto a page. I hope you guys enjoy.

The first thing Din noticed when he landed on a pile of hard metal debris was the pungent smell penetrating his helmet. It was rancid and sour, filing the whole room and if Din weren’t in such a desperate situation, he might’ve thrown up. He grunted as he stood, stumbling at first before grasping the wall for purchase. Luke and Han were knee deep into the murky sewage water that flooded the floor while Chewie banged on the locked door, trying to get it to budge. Leia was panting, eyes scanning the room for a way out and Din could see the exhaustion she was trying to keep at bay. 

A loud bang filed the air as a laser bolt fired, bouncing off the walls rapidly. Din quickly flattened himself into the garbage pile as the beam narrowly missed him before it disintegrated hitting a discarded chrome pillar. Luke and Leia simultaneously rounded on Han and Din could feel the pair’s anger radiating from the other side of the room.

“ _Would you forget it I already tried that! It’s magnetically sealed!_ ”

“ _Put that thing away you’re gonna get us all killed!_ ”

Din brushed himself off, standing once more as best he could, while the bickering between the Smuggler and the Princess continued. A tingling sensation ran up his spine and he saw the water move unnaturally through the gaps of the discarded steel. Instinct kicked in and he rested a hand on his blaster, training his sights on the motion, leaning in to get a closer look.

A vicious roar that did _not_ belong to Chewbacca vibrated through the air. The group stilled and Din peered into the murky surface below. Out of the corner of his visor, he saw Luke, who noticed the shifting trash, do the same.

“There’s something alive down there,” Luke said, shakily.

Han scoffed, but Din could tell he was nervous. Han had seen it, and they _all_ heard it, he just wanted to pretend he hadn’t. Din frowned at that. Ignorance could only be bliss for so long.

“That’s just your imagination,” Han dismissed.

“No,” Din said, “Something moved. I saw it.”

Luke jolted suddenly, jumping back as his eyes scanned his surroundings rapidly.

“Something just moved past my leg!”

Din moved forward, careful to keep his feet out of the bog. He saw a red limb slither in and out view and then disappear. He whipped out his blaster, aiming it to where he estimated the monster was lurking. 

“Everyone out of the water! Now!”

Han and Luke scrambled up and away as a searching tentacle sprang towards them. Han had managed to get out of the way, but Luke had stumbled, sliding back down towards the floor. The appendage grabbed onto him, dragging Luke under the murky current.

Before he knew what he was doing, Din had plunged in after Luke. His helmet filled with disgusting liquid as he searched blindly for Luke in the thick darkness. Desperately, he threw his arms out and after what felt like an eternity, he felt a hand, a human hand, grab his in return. Din tightened his grip as he propelled them upwards, using all his strength to hold onto Luke as the monster pulled against them. The filth drained as his helmet broke the surface and he saw Luke panting and coughing, head just barely peaking up.

Quickly, Din wrapped his arms around Luke’s waist, tugging him back onto the solid platform. Han rushed forward, shooting around them at the thing still weakly clutching at Luke. A screech expelled from the creature as one of Han’s shots made its mark and it released Luke urgently before retreating.

Chewie helped the pair the rest of the way up, securing them onto higher ground for which Din was entirely grateful. He sat up gingerly, muscles sore from the sudden harsh work out and Luke coughed, spitting the rest of the water that had filled his lungs out. Leia was at Luke’s side, placing a hand on his shoulder as he caught his breath. She gave a concerned look to Din, but he waved her off. He was used to the aches and pains by now.

“Well,” Han said, running a hand through his hair, “It could be worse.”

The room started shaking as the walls moved inwards, closing around them.

“It’s worse,” Din said, forcing himself to his feet.

…………………………………..

Luke reclined against the back of the booth, staring unblinking at the Falcon’s dilapidated ceiling. The adrenaline of their escape had worn off some time ago and the hollow feeling Luke had since he found the corpses of his aunt and uncle on Tatooine had grown. Artoo sent a worried beep his way from the edge of the table and Luke gave him a reassuring smile as he pulled the blanket Leia had given him tighter around himself.

Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was the red, unforgiving shock of Vader’s lightsaber piercing through the darkness. Luke grimaced as the memory of the blade cutting through Ben like he was nothing but smoke, pushed to the front of his mind.

The fight between Vader and Ben had been brief. Luke had watched, helplessly from the sidelines, as the two expertly dueled and he remembered screaming as final blow landed and the brown robe that once held Ben fell to the floor, empty. Luke recalled the horrible pain and anger that had burst suddenly through him.

It was like Vader had torn into Luke’s very own flesh when he struck Ben down. The blinding anger that had shown itself turned into terror when the Sith turned his attention towards him, viciously advancing. Mando had been there to call him back to reality as he ushered Luke into the Falcon’s secure walls, but even as they flew away, blasting the pursuing tie fighters into bits, he didn’t feel safe. Luke was certain the bloody scarlet of the Sith’s blade as it killed and maimed would haunt him for the rest of his life.

He shook himself, pushing the thought from his mind as best he could. There were more important things to worry about right now. Whatever was going on, it wasn’t over yet and he’d need a clear head when they reached Yavin IV. Luke jolted slightly at the sound of heavy footsteps approaching. He turned to see Mando, staring at him from the door way. His armor was pristine once more and Luke assumed he’d found a spare moment to clean up a bit as they traveled. Artoo let out a series of rude beeps before he rolled away to find Threepio. The astromech was avoiding the droid hating Mandalorian and Luke couldn’t blame him for his rudeness. 

“Smuggler says we’re about one parsec out from the base,” Mando informed him.

Luke nodded, lips twitching upwards at the stubborn refusal to mention Han by name. The Mandalorian shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other before sitting down across from Luke in the rounded booth. The game pieces that were lit on the board reflected off his armor and it gave a kaleidoscope effect as the different colors danced over the smooth surface. Luke was entranced.

“I’m sorry about Ben.”

He looked away, staring at the air vents as vapor swirled around the ducts. He had been dreading this since they had climbed back aboard. 

“It’s all right,” he muttered, though it sounded weak even to his own ears, “I- We didn’t know each other that well. We only met a few hours before we hired you. Besides, Leia’s entire planet got blown up and she’s not sitting here crying about it.” 

Mando hummed at that and Luke could feel the eyes beneath the helmet staring at him intently. He swallowed thickly, wishing he could be absorbed into the cushions. Luke was embarrassed of himself, moping around the ship instead of helping with damaged parts or checking on the droids or just doing anything useful at all. He felt weak, mentally as well as physically. He must seem pathetic to the highly trained bounty hunter and his mortification expanded at the thought. As the silence stretched on, Luke shifted uncomfortably in his seat under Mando’s steady gaze, unsure of what to say or do.

“A loss is a loss,” Mando finally said, sounding as though he was seeking the right words as he spoke, “Grieving is different for everyone. In my culture, we live as the ones who have passed on before us would’ve wanted us to live. We survive and we persevere and we don’t allow ourselves to die with the dead. Leia is honoring her fallen people by fulfilling the final mission they had given to her. That is her way. Now, you need to find your own way to honor the man you knew.”

“I already know what I need to do to honor him,” Luke whispered, chest feeling heavy, “But I don’t know if I can do it. I’m no Jedi and I’m no Rebel. I’m just a farm boy who got in way too over his head.”

For a moment, Mando said nothing and then he leaned closer over the table, evaporating the holograms below him. 

“I don’t believe that you believe that. And even if you do believe that, I don’t.”

Luke finally turned his head to acknowledge Mando. This time, he was the one examining the Mandalorian and not the other way around. One of Mando’s arms rested on the edge of the table and he had a leg sticking out at the end of the booth. He looked like he was torn between staying and going. Luke felt something inside him flutter at the thought of being able to make the bounty hunter nervous.

They stayed in a peaceful silence, simply regarding one another when a loud commotion caused them both to jerk their heads towards the cockpit.

“ _What did you just call me?!_ ,” Han’s voice boomed.

“ _I said_ ,” they heard Leia yell back, “ _You are 'a scruffy looking, half-witted nerf herder!' And believe me, that is being generous!_ ”

“ _Scruffy looking? SCRUFFY LOOKING?! You know what, sister? I’ve got half a mind t-_ ”

“ _If you had a half a mind we wouldn’t be in this mess!_ ”

The voices quieted after that, although muffled indistinct bickering could still be heard through the walls. Luke smiled, amused by Han getting put in his place by the princess.

“Well,” Mando said, “They seem to be getting along great.”

Luke chuckled a little at that before falling sullen once more. There was another silent beat nestling between them until Mando stood up, awkwardly walking towards where Luke was perched. The helmet turned down towards him and Luke held his breath.

“I – I should make sure they don’t kill each other before we land.”

Luke nodded mutely, not trusting himself to speak. There was a brief hesitation from Mando when he turned to leave and Luke wondered if perhaps he should have said something.

……………..

“Where’s Luke,” Leia asked as Din entered the cockpit and sat down in one of the chairs near the doorway.

“In the back,” he said softly, “Where’s Han?”

“Who cares?”

Din accepted that as the only answer he was going to get and left it at that. He glanced back towards the lounge area where he knew Luke was still resting. Din had never been good at comforting or really just talking in general, but he had felt compelled to go to the young rebel after their escape and at least give it a try.

He honestly wasn’t sure if he’d helped at all, but he had gotten Luke to laugh a little, so he figured he must have done something right. Maybe. Leia seemed to be doing fine on her own and Din had thought it best to stay out of her way for the time being. His ears were still wringing from Han and Leia’s ‘conversation’.

Din sighed, propping his head on the dingy leather head rest behind him. He observed Leia, who was facing away from him, gazing at the stars as they shot by. The action reminded him moments ago of Luke staring at the silver walls, lost in thought. Where Luke’s eyes were blue and clear like a frozen lake, Leia’s eyes were a warm dark brown. It reminded him of the bark of the forest trees he played on when he was younger. Cracked with the scars of axes that had tried to cut them down, yet still standing with a wise and graceful beauty only few could truly appreciate it. The gleam they had in their eyes was the same, though. Brave. Determined. Hopeful. And lonely. They seemed very lonely.

“I’m sorry about your planet,” Din said before he could stop himself.

“Yes. So am I.”

She didn’t bother looking at him. Din knew the last thing Leia probably wanted was pity for her situation, but he found the sudden urge to reach out to her thrum through him. It was similar to the feeling he had had during Luke’s brief training, when the weight that had been placed on the young boy’s shoulders as Ben passed on his Jedi legacy. Din closed his eyes for a moment. It seemed they were all lasts of their kind.

Leia took in a deep breath before she regarded him. He could tell she was pulling herself together like Din guessed she had been forced to do a thousand times before. Din had met a few princesses throughout his travels, but none of them had been quite like Leia.

“Thank you for your condolences,” she said with a politeness he knew she didn’t feel.

He nodded to her in acknowledgment and her shoulders seemed to ease back a little. She rested her hands in her lap, thumbs taping against the once immaculate white linen.

“I never thought I’d meet a Mandalorian,” she said, a slight hesitance in her voice, “I thought the Empire had wiped them all out.”

“There’s only a handful of us left. After the Purge, we were forced to leave Mandalore. Now we just come out one or two at a time and even then, traveling can be dangerous. I’ve accepted the risks that come with it. When one chooses to walk the way of the Mandalore, you are both hunter and prey.”

“Sounds like the Rebels and the Mandalorians have a lot in common,” she said, giving him a genuine half smile.

“This the way.”

Leia raised an eyebrow at that, but didn’t make a retort. Instead, she sighed, shaking her head and fiddling with the ruined sleeve of her gown.

“I have no idea how many of us are left,” she said, “I tried contacting a few of my informants on Alderaan, to see if they had been off planet when it happened, but no one responded.”

Din knew all too well what that was like. The constant cycle of hopefulness and then disappointment, reaching out to those who would never respond. He couldn’t count how many times he had tried looking for other Mandalorians, only to be met with dead ends and imposters. 

There was a clinking sound as Han leaned against the doorway, tapping his knuckles against the metal with Chewie behind him. Leia turned around in her seat, blatantly ignoring Han’s sudden appearance. The tension in the air was palpable and Din felt incredibly awkward still sitting there.

“We’re almost at Yavin IV,” he said, not taking his eyes off the back of Leia’s chair, “Told the kid already. You should go strap yourselves in, we’re gonna be exiting hyperspace soon.”

Din shot up from his seat, not wanting to be caught in their inevitable rematch. He was almost at the door when decided to open his mouth again.

“Ya know, princess, if you need any help, I’d be more than happy to assist.”

Din watched as Leia stood up, sauntering over to Han. She stopped inches away from the smuggler, who was smirking down at her, clearly thinking he had won and Din winced behind his helmet dreading whatever was about to happen next.

“I would sooner kiss a Wookie,” she bit out, elbowing past Han and stomping straight towards Chewbacca, who, wisely, stepped out of her way.

She was barely out of sight before Han was yelling after her.

“I can arrange that!”

Han turned on his heel back into the cockpit, staring at Din, whose silence, he hoped, signaled his disapproval.

“What,” Han asked squinting at him.

Din stood there for a few seconds, amazed at how one man could be so blatantly ignorant to the people around him. Chewie gave him a small gargle of acknowledgment before squeezing himself through the cramped space and into the copilot seat. Han raised his eyebrows and Din saw a flicker of realization flash in his eyes.

“Oh, come on! She started it!”

Din sighed, shook his head and left without saying a word. The sooner he got off the Millennium Falcon the better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the next chapter will be the last chapter BUT I've already written two more fics for this AU so those will be coming out after this. I'm going to combine cannon and non cannon events for the stories because legends has some great characters that I want to utilize. Also I hate the sequels so any chance to erase them I get I will take. (Seriously tho no hate at all if you like them, they're just not my thing so don't expect Ben or Rey or Finn and the gang to pop up. Well. Maybe Finn but we'll see.) Also in my own personal headcanon, Din is bi and Luke is gay. If you want to read into Din's scene with Leia you can, but I didn't mean for it to mean anything. I just realized after I wrote it it could so if you wanna go off with it go off. 
> 
> Also thank you guys so much for supporting this story whether it's kudos, comments or bookmarks. It all means a tremendous amount to me and I'm glad I'm able to put out content that is being enjoyed.


	6. People Who Care if I Live or Die

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all enjoy! It's p angsty!  
> Note: I edited this at 3 am and I realized I repeated a lot of phrasing so if you guys reread it and something’s changed it’s just cause I felt it was repetitive sorry

When they arrived on Yavin IV they had been rushed straight into the briefing on the Death Star schematics, which was, apparently, what the little, blue astromech had been hiding all along. Din leaned against the back wall as the commander rattled off the Rebellion’s plan. They were going to attack the space station head on, sending in a small squadron of one-man fighters. One of the pilots would have to make an exact hit to the two-meter thermal exhaust port in order to blow the main reactor and destroy the whole thing.

Han shifted uncomfortably next to him as Chewbacca grumbled indistinctly. They knew what Din knew. The shot was impossible and the squad would be dead before they even got close. A patch of sandy hair caught his eye and Din could almost see the wheels turning in Luke’s head as the younger man stared at the screen. Luke was going to go with them, Din was certain of that. 

The briefing ended and everyone went their separate ways. Han and Chewie to the Falcon, Leia with the other captains and commanders, and Luke to, well, Din didn’t know where. He spent the better part of an hour wandering around the Rebel Base, searching for him. He needed to find him and at least try to convince him not to go. If Luke left, he wouldn’t come back, and Din felt his throat constrict at the thought.

He was on his third lap around the hangar when he finally spotted him. Din weaved his way through the sea of rebel pilots to see Luke and Leia conversing with each other. Luke was shaking his head, looking dismayed as Leia listening with a concerned expression. He didn’t know what was said, but Din felt a sharp spike of jealously when Leia leaned in and kissed Luke on the cheek. She gave him a quick reassuring smile before walking off to join her colleagues. 

Din forced his hands to unclench at his sides as he walked over to Luke, who was now leaning against one of the X-Wing fighters. When he saw Din approaching, he quickly straightened himself, tucking his helmet under his arm. He opened his mouth to greet his friend, but Din cut him off.

“We need to talk,” he said, ducking behind the ship’s wing and motioning Luke to follow him. He pretended not to see the smile on Luke’s face falter just a bit.

“What is it,” Luke asked, leaning against the hull.

“You shouldn’t go,” Din forced out.

Luke’s eyebrows furrowed and confusion spread over his features. His eyes darted around Din’s helmet, like the metallic plating would hold the answer to the sudden discouragement.

“What?”

“You shouldn’t go with them,” he repeated, stiffening at the anger in his voice, “Luke, this plan, it’s- It’s not going to work. That thing, the Death Star, it’s unbeatable. We’ve been on it. We’ve seen its power, the numbers they have onboard, the reinforcements. Even if you made to the station, you would never get close to the exhaust port. This is the Empire’s most valuable weapon. They’re not just going to let a band of Rebels come in and blow it to hell.”

Luke glared. Din knew how mad he must be, but thought of Luke’s cold, dead body floating around in the darkness of space was unbearable. Even if Luke never wanted to see him again, Din had to at least try to change his mind. As long as he was alive, Luke could hate him all he wanted.

“What do you want me to do, Mando,” Luke snapped, “Just leave all these people here to die? They need my help! Leia needs my help! I can’t just abandon them!”

A small group of pilots walked by, eyeing them as Luke raised his voice. The pair waited for them to walk away before continuing their spat.

“You said I was more than just some farm boy,” Luke whispered, hoarsely, “That you believed in me.”

“I _do_ believe in you, Luke,” Din said, “I do. But this is a suicide mission. You can’t win. It’s not _possible_.”

Luke scoffed, shaking his head and pushing past Din.

“I don’t have time for this.”

Din grabbed Luke’s bicep. Not enough to hurt or strain, just enough to hold him in place Luke halted, but he didn’t turn back around.

“The Empire wiped out my entire planet,” he rasped, trying to keep himself from breaking, “They killed so many Mandalorians you could make another one of those space stations from their armor alone. They desolate anything that comes across their path and this squadron won’t be any different.”

Luke didn’t speak and Din loosened his fingers one by one, slowly releasing him. Time seemed to stretch on endlessly before Luke finally faced him. Din felt his chest tighten and he felt like he couldn’t breathe.

“So, help me,” he said, expression imploring, “You said yourself you were an excellent pilot! Take one of the fighters! I’m sure there’s an extra one lying around and you could-”

“No.”

“… No?”

“No,” Din firmly stated, “If you go up against them, you are going to die. I’m not going to sit around here and watch you get yourself killed.” 

Luke stared for a long moment and Din watched as he closed himself off, shifting the helmet under his arm.

“Well, you’re in luck,” Luke said, Din wincing at the clipped tone, “You don’t have to stick around! Han’s leaving too and he’s packing up the Falcon as we speak! I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to give you a ride back, considering how much you two seem to have in common. Maybe you’ll even make it out of here before they annihilate the whole planet!”

“Luke-”

But he was already storming off to the X-Wing Artoo was being set in. Din saw Luke disappear into the cockpit, not once glancing back. A whistle came from his side and Din turned to see Han, one arm propped onto the fighter’s wing, staring at Luke’s ship as well.

“What’d you do to piss him off like that,” he asked.

“You getting off this planet?”

Han raised an eyebrow at being ignored, but licked his lips and nodded anyways.

“Yeah, sure am, Chewie just loaded up the last of the stuff. I came to see if her Highness was still around, but it looks like I just missed her.”

Din rolled his eyes, uncaring of Han and his romantic plight.

“I’m going with you.”

“Hey- Hey,” Han spluttered, “Now wait just a minute, pal. No one bosses me around, especially not on my ship. If you think-”

“I’ll pay you.”

Han quieted.

“How much?”

“However much you want. Within reason,” Din said, holding up a hand as Han opened his mouth, “Just get me off this planet.”

Han scanned him up and down, inspecting him, and Din felt irritated by the smuggler’s sudden interest in him.

“Kid gave you the guilt trip too, huh?”

Din tried his best not to look like a petulant child as he stormed off towards Chewbacca and the Falcon.

……………..

Luke cursed loudly as he readied his fighter for take-off.

_“I just want to help. Trust me.”_

Where was that help now?

Luke aggressively punched in the coordinates of the Death Star on the navicomputer. He should have known Han and Mando wouldn’t stick around. All either of them cared about was money and he was positive Leia had given them more than enough of it.

Luke slammed his fists into the dashboard. If he looked back on it, this was the most obvious outcome. He shouldn’t be disappointed or shocked, and he really wasn’t all that surprised about Han, but with Mando it was different. He had truly thought the Mandalorian would be there until the end, that he genuinely cared and Luke felt like an idiot for letting himself believe that Mando was anything more than just a self-absorbed bounty hunter.

Artoo gave an anxious whistle and Luke sighed, thumping back against his seat.

“I know, buddy, I’m sorry,” he said, “I didn’t mean to worry you. Ready to go bring that hunk of junk down?”

Artoo beeped enthusiastically as Luke gazed across the hangar, seeing an armored silhouette head up the Falcon’s ramp. He watched as Mando disappeared into the freighter, followed by Chewie and Han. He blinked back the wetness he felt forming in his eyes as the X-Wing descended into the starry sky.

…………………………

Din sat with his arms crossed in the back seat of the Falcon’s cockpit, staring at the battle taking place just outside of their window. Blast after blast lit the darkened quarters as the fight raged on. In the brief time they had been in flight, he had lost count of how many ships he had seen go down and a sick feeling nestled its way into the pit of his stomach at the escalating loss of life taking place.

Han and Chewie flew slowly, careful not to attract the attention of any of the Tie Fighters whizzing nearby. No one had spoken since they entered the atmosphere, but Din could feel the growing unease clawing through the air. He knew Luke’s words were ringing in all of their heads.

He tried to keep his fists from clenching as the sight of another exploding X-Wing flashed past the view screen. They were going to lose. The Rebellion was going to lose. Luke was going to die and Din had just left him to his fate, running away like a coward. He stood, abruptly. He wasn’t going to run away anymore.

“We have to help them.”

“Already punched in the coordinates,” Han said as the ship turned swiftly towards the battle station, “Kid’s ship is still on the radar. We’ll fly, you shoot.”

Din was running towards the gunner before the last words were out of Han’s mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol I'm a lying clown there's gonna be one more chapter. Anytime I tried to fit the Medal Ceremony in i came out to be 4,000 words and thats a little much for one chapter. Thank you guys for all the comments and kudos! Ik I haven't responded to like 90% of them I was just waiting til I finished the story so I could respond once everything's all up since there's people who comment on every chapter and stuff which makes me really simp so fuckin hard like omfg thank youuuuuuuuuuuuu. Speaking of Simping, Yellow Jacket Luke is next chapter and you all know what that means.


	7. Hold You In My Arms, I Just Wanted To Hold You In My Arms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw man last chapter is here. Like I know I'm gonna continue this and make it a series, but shit I'm still kinda sad about ending this fic. And I finally got a chair in my room so I don't kill my back everytime I go to write something :) I really hope y'all enjoy/enjoyed this fic. It kinda became my baby and everyone's been so awesome and lovely in the comics it makes me :,) I love Y'all.

Din had declined to be awarded at the ceremony, opting to watch the proceedings from one of the pillars in the back. He wasn’t a hero and he didn’t deserve to be praised like one, not after the things he had done in his many years as a bounty hunter. Observing from the shadows was what he was good at and seemed the apt place for him now. One good deed for his own selfish needs wasn’t a courageous act and it shouldn’t be glorified as one.

He watched as Luke, Chewie and Han approached Leia, who stood dressed in another immaculate white gown, upon the room’s platform. Han had barely changed at all, opting only to button the top of his shirt, and the princess’ distaste for his attire was clear as he halted in front of her. Din would bet every cent of his award money that they would fight about it later. Chewie had shined his bandolier and was standing proudly behind his captain, but Luke, as always, was the one who had Din’s attention.

He was wearing a yellow jacket that shone brighter than the Tatooine Twin Suns and accentuated the halo of blonde waves that sat gracefully atop his head. The jacket covered a tightfitting black shirt and the top of even tighter brown pants. When Luke turned back after Leia had given him his medal, he looked absolutely radiant. Luke eyes met his and the rebel hero’s grin turned even wider. It reminded Din of the look he had given him when they had gotten back from the battle.

_Din stared wearily as Luke was released from Han and Leia’s tight embrace. The former farm boy gawked at him and Din stayed deathly still, waiting for the other to decide what to do. The Mandalorian had been terrified that he was still angry from their fight earlier and Din didn’t want to assume his stance had changed. Luke neared him, stopping just inches away and Din felt a cold sweat breakout under his armor._

__

_“Luke, I’m-”_

__

_Arms were already wrapping around him, holding him tight. Din was too stunned and for a moment he tensed, unsure of himself, before returning the embrace._

__

_“You came back.” Luke said, relieved._

__

__

_Din nodded, dumbly, as he felt his face heat up behind his helmet. They remained like that only briefly before Luke pulled back and Din wished Luke could see how happy he was._

__

_“I- I didn’t think I would see you again,” Luke said, sheepishly, “But I’m- I really am glad you’re here.”_

__

_Once again, Din just stood there, nodding like a kriffing idiot._

__

_A series of whirring noises drew Luke away from him. Artoo was being let down, sparks flying everywhere as his inner mechanisms poked out from random points crevices on his body._

__

_“Oh, no,” Luke whispered, rushing to the droid’s side as Threepio hobbled over as well._

__

_Han strode towards Din, flinging an arm around his shoulders and steering them toward Luke’s X-Wing where the small group had gathered._

__

_“So,” he said, giving Din a knowing wink, “You and the kid, huh?”_

__

_Din shrugged the smuggler off, annoyed as always at Han’s ever-present arrogance. Luke glimpsed at them from where he was kneeling near the wounded astromech on the ground and No star in the galaxy could compare to the luminance of the smile he sent Din’s way._

The memory faded and the ceremony ended. Luke headed in the direction of his quarters as the crowd dispersed, only stopping for the occasional congratulation or pat on the back. Din followed a few minutes behind, resenting what he was about to do. It was time for him to go and he dreaded ruining Luke’s happy moment, but he needed to pick up the Razor Crest, which he hoped was still in one piece, and get back to Nevarro. He almost thought about leaving without saying good-bye, but when he thought of Luke’s disappointed face, he just couldn’t do it. Din owed him this at least.

His knuckles barely graced the steel panel before it slid open. Luke didn’t seem at all surprised to see him.

“How did you know I was out here?”

“A feeling,” Luke shrugged, like that explained everything.

He stepped out of the way so Din could enter. The room was the same as the rest of the quarters on the base. Dark and chrome filled, with a made bed and a dresser near the entrance. The wooden surface held a holopad and the ornate, golden medal Luke had just received on top. The faint smell of soap poured out through the cracked fresher door and Din assumed Luke must have showered before the ceremony. He turned, facing Luke, and prepared himself for what he had to do.

“I came to say good-bye,” Din managed to get out, voice sounding rougher than intended.

Luke’s smile turned sad as he met Din in the middle of the room. He knew saying farewell to Luke would be hard, but the reality of it was so much worse and Din almost wished he had left without saying anything at all.

“Leaving already?”

“I have to,” he said, trying to keep his voice even, “I need to get back to my ship and my clan. Leia’s been generous enough to have one of her cargo pilots drop me off at Mos Eiseley on his way to the new outpost. We leave in an hour.”

“Oh.”

It hurt Din, to upset Luke like this, but he had a responsibility to his people, just like Luke had a responsibility to the Rebellion. Din couldn’t stay and Luke couldn’t leave and that was just the sad truth of it all.

Din reached out, pressing the fabric near the zipper of the yellow jacket he had been admiring earlier between his fingers. He wanted to commit it to memory, how beautiful Luke was right now, how peaceful. Din stroked the material with his thumb and forefinger.

“I, uhm, I like the jacket,” he blurted out, “It looks good on you.”

A slightly trembling hand placed itself over his own. A whirlwind of emotions were tumbling in the waves of Luke’s ocean blue eyes and Din knew he couldn’t name all of them even if he tried. Time seemed to still as Luke cautiously brought his arms up, reaching towards Din’s helmet. His fingertips had just barely skimmed the edges when Din stopped him, holding gently by the wrists.

“I want you to,” Din whispered, “More than anything, I want you to, but I can’t.”

“Why,” Luke asked, but there was no accusation in his voice, just the urge to understand.

Luke’s compassion never ceased to amaze him.

“I’m not allowed to be seen by any living thing, it’s the way of the Mandalore. No one’s seen my face since I was a small boy.”

“So, you can take your helmet off, you’re just not allowed to show me your face?”

“Well, technically yes, but- What are you doing??”

Luke was rummaging in the top drawer of his dresser, searching for something through the limited belongings. His eyes widened as he pulled out a dark colored rag. Luke held the cloth between them, just resting it in his hands. Din didn’t say anything, couldn’t say anything as he realized the cloth’s intent. He was rendered utterly speechless.

“We don’t have to, if you don’t want to,” Luke said, quickly, “But I thought, well, I thought maybe you’d want to see me, actually see me, instead of just through the helmet before you go. I thought this could be a compromise.”

Din searched Luke’s face through the visor, seeing the openness there, the vulnerability. The trust the gesture showed rocked Din to his core. He knew what Luke really meant, really wanted, and Din wanted that, too. The things Luke made him feel were new to him and the fact the other could feel the same back was almost inconceivable to Din. When at last he was able to vaguely collect himself, he reached out, skimming the strip of fabric in Luke’s hands.

“Are you sure,” Din asked.

Luke nodded.

Din brought his arms to his sides so Luke was free to tie the makeshift blind fold around his own head. He watched Luke pull it tight and still himself, waiting for Din. He only hesitated for a moment before removing his helmet and placing it on the vacant bed. Luke tensed at the muffled thunking sound it made hitting the mattress and then forced himself to relax once more.

Din truly took him in for the first time. Luke’s skin was a shade lighter than the tinted glass had made it seem, but still tanned from the hot desert sunlight. Din could see the streaks of chestnut that streaked through the blonde locks of his hair. There was the slightest shadow of light stubble dusting his face and the jawline was sharp and more prominent. Din put a hand to Luke’s cheek and watched as the rose-pink lips parted slightly. He was beautiful. So, so beautiful.

Din hadn’t realized he had said the words aloud until Luke chuckled softly. He felt a genuine grin spread across his own features at the sound. Carefully, he traced Luke’s bottom lip with his thumb, testing the waters. Luke shuddered, but didn’t pull away.

“Can I?”

“Yes,” Luke, sighed out, “ _Please_.”

Din brought their mouths together, guiding Luke to him. His lips were warm and slightly chapped and they were the best thing Din had ever had the pleasure to feel. One of Luke’s hands fumbled up the side of Din's face and wound itself into his dark hair, massaging his scalp, while the other smoothed itself around Din’s waist, holding them closer together. Din inhaled sharply and Luke used the pause to take the Mandalorian’s bottom lip between his own, nipping once before letting go. Din grunted, feeling a rush of heat thrum through him and pool in his stomach.

Din walked them backwards until they collide with the dresser and Luke gasped into his mouth as Din lifted him, placing him none too gently on top the wood surface. Din gave him a quick apologetic peck on the side of his mouth for the unintentional rough treatment. Luke’s legs were spread on either side of Din’s waist and Din could feel the heat from where they were intertwined even through his armor. He slid a hand down between their bodies, rubbing the inside of Luke’s thigh with his palm to calm his trembling legs.

He kissed along Luke’s jaw, dragging his lips downwards and mouthing at his throat. The hand in his hair tightened and a moan from the jedi in training echoed throughout the room as Din sucked a mark into his neck.

“Mando,” Luke gasped out.

“Din,” he corrected, panting lightly.

“Wh-What?”

“My name. My real name it-it’s Din.”

Any doubts Din had about the reveal disappeared as Luke guided Din upwards into another chaste kiss.

“Din,” Luke sighed when they parted.

Din’s breath hitched at the reverence with which Luke had said his name. He’ll never understand how he got so lucky to meet his farm boy. A loud beeping noise rang in Din’s ears as the communicator on his gauntlet went off. Luke whimpered at the loss of contact as Din retracted his hand. Din gave Luke a brief kiss to quiet his protests before accepting the call.

“Mando, this Captain Reima,” a voice said, “We’re almost finished loading the cargo hold and we should be ready to depart in about fifteen minutes from the main hangar.”

_Dank. Ferrick._

“All right. I’ll be there,” he muttered into the link before shutting it off.

“Interrupted again,” Luke said and Din could tell the glow from earlier was fading.

Neither one of them were eager to speak, unwilling to acknowledge the inevitable. The silence dragged and stretched as they stayed locked together, each basking in the presence of the other. Luke was the first to talk.

“Will I ever see you again,” he whispered.

It was a question Din had hoped he wouldn’t ask, but he knew that Luke probably would. He swallowed against the harsh lump forming in his throat and pressed a meaningful kiss to Luke’s forehead.

“I don’t know,” he admitted, leaving the warm body intertwined with him.

Din picked up his helmet, placing it back over his head and made his way back to where Luke was still perched on the dresser. He helped Luke down gently and slid the blindfold off, letting it fall to the floor. Luke blinked rapidly as the light hit his eyes before turning to face Din. The Mandalorian once again rested his palm against Luke’s cheek.

“But I hope so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There might be smut later on but I don't know it just didn't feel right and it’ll probably won’t be descriptive if there is. Thank you fr the comments and Kudos and everything on this fic. I hope y'all will contniue to read the rest of this story cause I'm really excited about it. It's probably gonna be a series of like one or two chapter fics from here on out. It is my birthday tomorrow tho I'll porbably take a break from writing tomorrow and the day after cause I'll be hungover :)


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